Delta (Ontario)

Delta is a small community in Southeastern Ontario located in the Rideau Lakes township, 40 kilometers from the US border, 70 kilometers from Kingston, Ontario, and 130 kilometers away from Canada's capital, Ottawa. The community was first settled in the 1800s along the upper reaches of Plum Hollow Creek and has grown since, making the total population of the hamlets and villages in Rideau Lakes 10,883. (2021)

History
In 1794, Abel Stevens settled in the area from Vermont, along with other families, along the upper reaches of plum hollow creek. At the time, the town was named Bastard Township, and a sawmill was made in the town in 1796. By the 1800s, the town had significantly grown, constructing another sawmill in 1808 and building roads to all the major villages around, and in 1810, a stone mill was built in the community by William Jones and Ira Schofield, which became the main reason for growth in the town, soon building a baptist church, a store, and expanding the mill. The town was then named Beverly, as a man named Sir John Beverly donated a bell to the Anglican church in exchange for the town to be named after him. By 1857, when Delta applied for a postal office, they had to change the name, as another town was named Beverly, so they changed it to Delta, as the town lay between two lakes - Upper and Lower Beverly Lake.

By the early 1900's, Delta had a population of 500, being the biggest town in the region mainly because of the success of the Old Stone Mill, and was connected by rail on the Brockville, Westport & Sault Ste. Marie Railway. In the later years, Delta became also known for their syrup bottling plant, Confederated Foods, and the town has hosted the Delta Fair, now named the Delta Maple Syrup Festival, since the 1830s.

Neighbouring Communities
Delta has many communities that neighbour it in the Rideau Lakes township area, the three surrounding it being the hamlets of Phillipsville, Soperton, and Little Brockville. Some of the closest village settlements are Lyndhurst, where an iron foundry was created by the settlers that lived in Delta, and Seeley's Bay, to the south, Portland to the north, Athens to the East and Westport to the west.

Get in
See Ottawa or Kingston options to get in the Rideau Lakes area by plane, bus, train, or boat.

Border Crossing - United States to Canada

 * Follow Highway 3 from Lansdowne Border Crossing
 * Right onto Highway 33 towards Lyndhurst
 * Right onto Highway 42 into Delta town core

Kingston Airport

 * Take Bayridge Drive into Highhway 401
 * Exit onto Highway 15
 * Take the right exit onto Highway 33
 * Right onto Highway 42 into Delta town core

Get around
There is no public transportation in the Delta area, however there are car rental companies in Kingston and Ottawa. The backroads off of the highways allow for biking travel to Delta along the Cataraqui Trail, stretching from Strathcona to Smiths Falls, however some parts of the travel will be on the side of the highway. The closest airport is Kingston Airport (YGK) however travel to Ottawa, also within a short distance, may be more desired.